Mr Nemtsov was born on 9 October 1959 in Sochi. He finished high school in Gorky (now, Nizhny Novgorod) with a golden medal and graduated from the department of radio physics of Gorky State University with honours in 1981.

In 1981-91, he worked as a researcher at the Radio Physics Research Institute in Gorky. He defended his candidate dissertation at the age of 25. He became involved for the first time in political activity in 1987 when, in the wake of Chernobyl nuclear-power plant catastrophe, he joined a movement opposing the construction of Gorky nuclear-power station.

In 1989, Nemtsov was nominated to run for people's deputy of USSR, but was the district election committee refused to register him. In 1990, he ran for the people's deputy of RSFSR and was elected as a member from the Democratic Russia bloc. In 1991, he was elected to the Russian Supreme Soviet, where he served on the Legislation Committee.

In November 1991, Nemtsov was appointed to head the administration of Nizhny Novgorod Region. He proposed commercial-sector reforms; small-scale privatisation; land reform; and support for entrepreneurs, farmers, the poor, and the elderly. In 1992, he began implementing the so-called 500-day regional-reform program drafted by liberal economist Grigory Yavlinsky.

In 1993-96, he was a member of the Federation Council. In 1996, the initiative group put him forward to be a presidential candidate but he refused to participate in the elections. In 1997, Nemtsov became a member of the Security Council. The same year, he was appointed first deputy prime minister in charge of monopoly and social policy. Later, he was named Fuel and Energy Minister.

In 1997, Nemtsov and Finance Minister Anatoly Chubais were forced to give up their posts after Yeltsin banned deputy prime ministers from holding other posts.

In March 1998, the government of Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin was dismissed, and in April 1998, Nemtsov was re-appointed deputy prime minister. He resigned in August 1998 after Yeltsin again dismissed the government.

In December 1999, Nemtsov was elected to the State Duma representing the Union of Rightist Forces (SPS). In May 2001, he was elected the chairman of the SPS federal Political Council.

In October 2002, Nemtsov was detained at the Minsk airport by agents of the Belarusian KGB and deported to Russia. Nemtsov, accompanied by State Duma Deputy Speaker and fellow SPS leader Irina Khakamada, had planned to attend a conference there on Belarusian-Russian integration.